The present embodiments relate to imaging-based medical procedures.
Symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is common among older men. In BPH, an enlarged prostate gland presses on the urethra, constricting the flow of urine. Over 40% of men above the age of 60 experience a host of uncomfortable symptoms due to a BPH tumor or lesion, including hesitancy, decreased urinary stream, intermittency, sensation of incomplete emptying, nocturia, frequency, and urgency.
Management of BPH varies based on the overall health of the patient and the severity of the symptoms. Various medications can decrease the severity of the voiding symptoms. Minimally invasive techniques have been developed for treatment of BPH. Examples include transurethral microwave thermotherapy and other laser ablations. Prostatectomy via transurethral or open surgical techniques is the traditional surgical treatment. Such surgical intervention is considered to be high risk given the advanced age of the typical patient.
Prostate artery embolization (PAE) has been used to control hemorrhaging after prostatectomy or prostate biopsy operations. PAE delivers particles to a blood vessel to block flow. A recent experimental study of PAE in pigs showed a reduction in prostate volume after embolization to block blood flow to the lesion.
Imaging of blood vessels supplying a lesion is used to help a physician guide a catheter to a position for a vascular intervention procedure. Two-dimensional (2D) X-ray fluoroscopy is routinely used for vascular interventions. Fluoroscopy is used for real-time monitoring of the procedure and catheter location visualization. The vessels of interest in fluoroscopy are opacified by injecting contrast agent into the patient. Preoperative three-dimensional (3D) imaging data from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems are used to provide a high-quality visualization of the body anatomy.
The vasculature supplying a BPH lesion may be complex. It may be difficult for the physician to guide the catheter despite the assistance of the fluoroscopic and other imaging data provided during the procedure.